-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Africa is poor , corrupt and rural . Right ? Think again . A team of young documentary makers is hoping to burst the myth of Africa as a dangerous backwater by shining a light on some inspiring projects taking place on the continent .

When filmmaker Nosarieme Garrick hit the streets of New York to ask passersby : `` What do you know about Africa ? '' the overwhelming response was `` not a lot . ''

`` It 's very big , very hot . Most of Africa 's impoverished . I 'm pretty ignorant to Africa , '' admitted one man .

`` I know about some human rights violations , some wars and genocides , '' was the bleak answer from another woman .

It was a dismal reflection of many Western stereotypes surrounding Africa -- one that Nosarieme is determined to change .

Watch : Fighting Hollywood stereotypes

My Africa is : hopeful

The 27-year-old hopes to launch an eight-part documentary series ` My Africa Is ' -- showcasing the continent through the eyes of its insiders .

`` The four things that come to mind when people think of Africa are population , problems , poverty , and promise unfulfilled -- headline media reports on the continent . But that 's not the whole story , '' Nosarieme , originally from Nigeria and now living in Washington , said .

The ambitious project would cover 13 cities across sub-Saharan Africa . Organizers are trying to crowdsource funds through the Kickstarter website and hope to start filming in October if they reach their target .

`` Between the 1980s and now the image of famine and wars has been ingrained in people 's minds . That 's a narrative that 's going to be hard to shift , '' Nosarieme said .

`` That 's not to discount the fact that this stuff does happen . But what I was n't seeing was the solutions . ''

See also : South African ballet dancer confounds stereotypes

Nigeria the troubled oil giant

First up in the documentary series is Abuja in Nigeria -- a country that until the election of President Goodluck Jonathan last year had largely lurched from one military coup to the next .

This is Africa 's most populous country and its leading oil producer . Yet few in the country have benefited from the oil boom with more than half the population still living in poverty .

See also : Congo 's designer dandies

The President was recently forced to sack bosses from state-owned oil company NNPC amid corruption allegations

Then there 's the ongoing violence between Muslim and Christian groups in the north , with even Pope Benedict XVI weighing in to call for an end to the brutality .

Put simply , when it comes to Nigeria , the headlines are n't great .

Getting on the Photowagon

But according to Nosereime , that 's only half the story .

`` Nigeria is going through a turbulent time , '' she admitted . `` But there 's a rising youth who are trying to educate each other . ''

Indeed the trailer for the first My Africa Is show , the focus is on Photowagon -- a Nigerian photography collective `` on a mission to show the giant of Africa through the lens . ''

Launched in 2009 , their powerful images paint a very different image of Africa .

It 's a well-rounded collection that captures the frivolity of everyday life , such as market scenes and football matches . But does n't shy away from some of the more familiar and gruesome notions of Nigeria such as terrorist attacks and military clampdowns .

The ` other ' Nigeria

Photowagon co-founder Aisha Augie-Kuta says her mission is to `` conquer sports photography as a northern Nigerian female '' -- a bold statement for a `` very conservative '' country .

But the gung-ho 33-year-old appears undeterred as she takes ` My Africa Is ' to a Nigeria vs Argentina football match in the capital Abuja .

Traditional dancers and hip-hop singers entertain the crowds during half-time , while ecstatic fans hug each other with each goal .

It 's an image of Nigeria that could n't be further from the grim headlines .

Aisha admitted that if you believed the Western media , you would n't step foot inside Africa .

`` They see us as a continent without hope , '' the mother-of-three said .

`` For Africans , we see hope on the street everyday . But on the news you do n't see that . It 's always about the negative stuff .

`` Instead , what we see is a lot of poor children dying from malaria or polio . If you listened to the news everyday you 'd have no hope from the bombings or corruption . Do n't get me wrong , it is happening . But it 's not a constant . It 's not the Nigeria we in Lagos or Abuja are living in . ''

See also : South Africa 's underground youth culture

The 33-year-old said the country had come a long way since she was growing up under a military regime in the northern state of Kebbi . Aisha remained optimistic about democratic change in the west African country , particularly for women , but was also realistic about its pace .

`` There 's a lot of opportunity and hope as to where we can be , '' she said .

`` But at the same time there 's a lot of uncertainty about how much change the government can bring in . ''

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Ambitious documentary hopes to dispel bleak stereotypes of Africa

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Filmmaker Nosarieme Garrick was shocked to find most people ` ignorant ' about Africa

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` My Africa Is ' project needs Â # 71,500 funding , with Â # 3,500 already raised

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First episode looks at Nigeria 's inspiring Photowagon collective